guest post

Excerpt from Jin Okubo’s Kaoru In Loves Shadow

Read about Jin’s book Kaoru: in Loves Shadow, the second book after Love. Check back tomorrow for Proof Positive’s interview with Jin!

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Title: Kaoru: In Loves Shadow
Author: Jin Okubo
Genre: Romance

Blurb:

Robert would love nothing better than to go unnoticed.
Kaoru takes the role of huntress. She couldn’t care less about his desires. He has been marked as her prey.
Love blooms in the city of angels.
Still… love has a tendency to trap, crush, and cast aside the unworthy.

Excerpt:

Starbucks

There was just something special about the late December snow. It was not as cold as February, but the slight chill did let you know that winter was upon you. She so loved the cold these days. Whether it was her thoughts on how she was raised or the cold emptiness of winter she loved the solitude of her life. Living solitary in that big house was nothing more than a dream to her, though not one that she imposed on herself but had become used to being in, yet… from time to time it did not feel real. The mere idea that she would

need to share it with someone, was beyond her at the moment. Still… she found herself looking at him from across the room every chance that she would get.

He was a squirrel of a man the way he moved in and out of the Starbucks. Still, once a week he would run in and order the same double shot of espresso and vanish out the door. Such uniqueness was to be admired in a time when people tried so much to fit… in.

What the hell could have him in such a rush? He was in and out of sight so fast that her thoughts were still forming as she watched him. There was little to the room to be admired, and having this distraction was one of her little joys. Taking a look around the room she would see the boring, the plain, and the utter useless cardboard cutout humans that made up society.

To her left, without even turning her head, she knew who was sitting there. The rancid smell of cigar smoke stung her sensitive nose. If she were to turn her head, she would have seen the grotesque representation of a human being as the man sitting there. Had she bothered to look there he would be in the same tired shirt. Part of his gut lifting the bottom of his shirt, a shirt that was never really meant to be worn untucked. But this man wanted to make a statement. What that statement was, well no one really knew.

Still had she bothered to get a side glance in there he would be sitting a café latte with a glaze doughnut. The doughnut itself being half devoured through a gaping hole that he called a mouth. Lips so trained that even though there was no smoking allowed, they still held firm to a cigar. He would light the beast as soon as he was out of earshot from the yuppie know-it-alls who had nothing better than to try and force others to live a certain way. In a way she admired the slob of a man for standing up for some semblance of freedom. At least he was not hiding the person that society as a whole cared not to see. With so many out there being fake in one sense or another it was becoming difficult in today’s world to see true life from the fiction which we perceive.

As she headed towards the line to place her order Kaoru’s eyes caught a view of one of the yuppies, which she detested so, rights for all as long as the yuppies approve of those rights, cancerous beings sitting in the chairs and tables across the room from her. It was an amazing sight to see. The paleness of her skin was clearly meant to give the sign of health. Yet, there was a certain view, which some would see as this woman being nothing but a plague on society. Her clothing nothing more than draped fabric over a school skeletal display. Everything about her was a complete contradiction to the idea of health.

That sad excuse for a woman had been standing in front of her as she prepared to order. Her order was as confusing as the idea of this person coming into a Starbucks for a drink. Excuse me, I will be having a soy, non-fat, decaf, macchiato, and make sure that it is a natural no sugar mocha powder. The order still burned in Kaoru’s mind was nothing less of disgusting, vile, putrid thing to order. That was not the end of the pain, which Kaoru had put up with. The sorry imitation of a human had actually turned around and faced her, all to give a reason for such an order as if anyone else in the world would care for what reason she had ordered such a thing.

Links to Buy

Amazon USA
www.amazon.com/Kaoru-Loves-Shadow-Jin-Okubo-ebook/dp/B01DKR80CO

Amazon UK
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kaoru-Loves-Shadow-Jin-Okubo-ebook/dp/B01DKR80CO

All Romance Ebooks website
www.allromanceebooks.com/product-kaoruinlovesshadow-2003886-149.html

Author Bio

Jin OkuboThere are few interesting things that can be said about my home town. I grew up in a mildly racist country town in the Santa Barbara mountains, though I am hopeful that things have changed there. Having grown up during the great migrant issues of California during the 80’s and 90’s, I was able to experience some of the issues when I was getting  my higher education in university. The biggest part of my life was finding my self-identity, which was never truly clear to me as a youth.

Upon finishing my university studies I moved to the beautiful country of Japan only to bounce back and forth between the U.S and Japan for a couple of years. Finally, I received my Japanese citizenship in the spring of 2014. My life has been filled with many strong women which is one of the contributing factors for my protagonists tending to be women.

I am a lover of classical literature. I hope to bring in a new style of classical literature to the current age of fast paced easy to read cookie cutter style novels that are being pushed out in mass across the world. Choosing to stick to my own style of writing rather than to write for easy to sell books has made my work difficult to get into, yet it is the joy of writing that is the reason as to why I do things the way I do.

There is always the temptation to write easy to digest books that are made to sell, rather than books that are written for an experience reader and very few writers have mastered both.  As I  work to improve my craft, I am inching my way ever closer to that perfect balance of books that will satisfy the modern reader and the reader who focuses more on content rather than face value.

I would like to make a comment to my would be readers: “I write to challenge my reader. As you face this challenge you will find that you will grow to love the characters I have created. This love will bring a deeper understanding to my writing and my characters more.”

Social media

Twitter: @mercasio
website: http://jinokubo.com
facebook author page: www.facebook.com/Jin-Okubo-Author-1742935872603584/

Rocky Rochford’s Don’t Say A Word is here!

Rocky Rochford’s Don’t Say A Word is here!

We’ve been waiting for it and finally Rocky Rochford has come out with the second part to his Don’t Turn Around trilogy. It’s even better than we’d hoped, and Rocky has been kind enough to share a gripping excerpt in his guest post below. Since it includes explicit and sometimes disturbing content, it’s whited out so that you can only read it by highlighting the clearly marked section. However, if you’d just like to learn about Rocky and his writing, you don’t have to worry about running into something scary; you won’t be able to see the excerpt without highlighting it.

Without further ado, here’s Rocky!

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My name is Rocky Rochford and if you haven’t heard, I am quite crazy, highly excitable and energetic, which, for a writer, are pretty great qualities as it definitely keeps things fresh. When I’m not being crazy (i.e. normal) I’m scuba diving, sword collecting, or, well, rum swigging whilst occasionally writing, which brings us to today’s topic of conversation: my latest work to be released, Don’t Say A Word.

Available for purchase on Amazon as of today (July 1st) is my thrilling horror story that truly engrosses the reader in the story and serves as a great continuation to its predecessor Don’t Turn Around, which if you haven’t read it yet (seriously, you haven’t read it yet?), probably isn’t a bad thing. It would only have given you nightmares, made you flinch when hearing a footstep come from behind, and this one? Well it makes Don’t Turn Around read more like a glorified children’s book, because my killer is back and is taking his craft to new heights, with you in the passenger seat, and if that’s not enough to tempt you, then how about a peak at my boy in action:

Don’t Say A Word Extract:

*Please highlight the white area between the lines with your mouse to see the excerpt, which is explicit and at times disturbing.*


All I could hear was the manager spouting some bullshit. I was too busy enjoying the screams to pay notice, but I’m sure he noticed me making a beeline straight for him.

Talk shit, get hacked to shit.

Fair’s fair.

Three hacks, one result, head cleaved from bone and rolling around on the Persian rug, dyeing it red.

Now ain’t that going to be a bitch to clean?

Talk about murder.

Still plenty more people to kill, so no good getting sidetracked, and what’s this? They’re stuck in the dining room with me?

How can this be?

Oh yeah, I bribed someone to make sure the door was closed and locked after I entered. Rather easy really; all I had to do was break into his home, hold a knife against his two year old’s throat and take a selfie, one I showed him personally upon my arrival.

He was more than willing to comply.

Willing to do anything to keep his family safe.

Yeah, about that.

A happy family reunion not in the cards, not when I forced the mother to kill both herself and infant in the bathtub.

It was either that or I’d do it.

And trust me, my way is always worse.


But if mindless killing isn’t you’re thing, don’t worry, I also write romance, and my latest work is available now. Him & Her is the story of Donny Tyler and his feelings of love, longing and lust for the girl next door.

Both works in the Don’t Turn Around Trilogy are only available in ebook on both www.solsticepublishing.com and all Amazon domains, along with many of my other works, such as my Entwined Saga, a series of paranormal shorts; The Rise of The Elohim Chronicles, a fantasy adventure for everyone; and so many others. There is a Rochford work for one and all. Have a great day everyone!!!

~~~

Author Photo - Black & WhiteMy name is Rocky Rochford and I am a scuba diving, photo taking, adventure seeking, sword collecting writer and marine conservationist. I’m a handful of years into my twenties, but after living life on the road, going town to town before finally settling down, I’ve gained great insight into the world and her workings. From day one I have been a writer and a writer I shall forever remain.

I like to consider myself to be a student of everything and yet a master of nothing, who does not choose what he writes, but writes what chooses him, be it fantasy, crime, poetry, philosophy or even adventure. After all, life is a journey we all get to experience, just like a good book.

Every read of one of my typed works is another trip into the imagination of my mixed up, crazed and deranged mind. Welcome to the World of Rochford.

Feel free to get connected with me on any of the following site locations:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IamRockyRochford?fref=ts
Twitter: @RockyRochford
Wattpad: http://www.wattpad.com/user/RockyRochford
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7310280.Rocky_Rochford
Personal Website: rockyrochford.wordpress.com

What’s next on the map: WIP – Guest Post by James Quinn

I had the pleasure of meeting Get Down With The Awethors participant James Quinn a few months ago and was impressed by his novel, A Game for Assassins. What’s so impressive about it? He has the actual experience in the subject matter: covert operations and other James Bond-type things. To me, this makes his novel much more real and therefore all the more enjoyable.

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I have to confess (and please bear with me as I’m new to this whole writing game, so no sniggering, you guys) that up until recently I thought that WIP had something to do with a wireless internet connection. And no, I’m not making that up…

I’d see people on various forums and FB groups banging on about “WIP this” and “WIP that” and “Oh my WIP is just on a downward spiral.” Poor woman, I thought! Eventually I figured out that it means a work in progress and it all became clear. So the next step along the path, the next big novel, the next project – right I got it now. It sounds nice. Then one of my friends commented that now that the first one was done I should really start on book 2. Errrr…I was so focused on getting the first book finished and into print that I hadn’t even considered getting to work on a follow-up book! Jeez – I’ve got to go through all that AGAIN!

As I’m writing this I am in the midst of a blog tour and about halfway through the expectedA Game for Assassins publicity for the first book. I had always had a plan that the “Gorilla Grant” books would be a 5 book series, charting his adventures and history from the 1960’s up to the present day. Hopefully, if readers take to the character and enjoy the books, that will come to fruition and we can see where the characters from the first book will be a mile or so down the road of time.

A Game for Assassins is what I would class as my Cold War novel. The character of Gorilla Grant, though, is able to transcend that period in history and move around into different locations and adventures. For example the follow up book – SENTINEL FIVE – takes place in the underbelly of Asia and has a very different feel to it. In fact I’m kind of curious to see how Gorilla survives in these environments.

My (rather naïve) idea was that I would finish the publicity for A Game for Assassins, have a summer vacation and then in the autumn move on to starting with book 2. Nice and clean. A bit like leaving one girlfriend, having a period of being single, before moving in with girlfriend number 2. Unfortunately life doesn’t always go along with our plans and I have already started upon my current WIP.

Is there a right or a wrong time to begin a follow-up book? Should writers take a break before committing to another work? I’m not thinking of the time between To Kill a Mockingbird and Go Set The Watchmen length here, but enough to give a fresh perspective to an existing set of characters. Perhaps we should go totally off track and try something else? I confess that over the weekend I began to work on a short story totally unrelated to anything else that I have written before. I found it quite refreshing. A change is as good as a rest and all that.

So what do you think? How do you think the characters from A Game for Assassins will develop and change, and where will they end up? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

James Quinn

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Title: A Game for Assassins
Series: The Redaction Chronicles, Book 1
Author: James Quinn
Length: novel (528 pages)
Genre: mystery, thriller, spy thriller, espionage
Synopsis

The assassination of a Caribbean dictator… The “hit” on a traitor in Beirut… The brutal murder of a young CIA officer behind the Iron Curtain… So begins the game…

It is 1964, the height of the Cold War, and British Intelligence is riding high with its top double agent network: Constellation.

But in the secret war fought across Europe the enemy is never far away and soon the agents of Constellation are targeted by an unknown team of assassins. In desperation British Intelligence sends in their best agent to protect the network and hunt down the killers.

Jack “Gorilla” Grant isn’t your typical Cold War secret agent. Short, tough, uncompromising, rough edged. He doesn’t fit in with the elitist spies and debonair intelligence agents. He prefers working at the rough end of British covert operations.

But “Gorilla” is one of the best “Redactors” in the business. He’s an expert at close quarter shooting: quick to the draw and deadly accurate when it comes to the elimination of traitors and extremists on behalf of the British Secret Service (SIS). He is soon drawn into a game of cross and double cross where nothing is as it seems and even the most perfect spy can die in a wilderness of mirrors.

A Game for Assassins is an action packed edge of your seat thrill ride played out across the global stage of the Cold War.

Buy Links

Free with Kindle Unlimited

Amazon US: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VQORC0K/
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VQORC0K/
Amazon AU: http://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B00VQORC0K/
Amazon DE: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B00VQORC0K/

Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Link: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d3e3d66a28/

About the author

James Quinn spent 15 years in the secret world of covert operations, undercover investigations and international security before turning his hand to writing.

He is trained in hand to hand combat and in the use of a variety of weaponry including small edged weapons, Japanese Swords and Hunting Bows. He is also a crack pistol shot for CQB (Close Quarter Battle) and many of his experiences he has incorporated into his works of fiction.

He lives in the United Kingdom and travels extensively around the globe.

Website: http://jamesquinn.webs.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/James-Quinn/1558765681046413
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Ape101Quinn

‘You should write a book…’ Guest Post by Maurice G. Miller

A few months ago, I had the pleasure of being consulted on a new author’s debut book cover. We exchanged a few messages on Goodreads and ended up talking quite a bit more about writing and publishing. Maurice Miller, author of the recently released The Budapest Experiment, is an active, sociable writer you’ll want to get to know. Why not start here?

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When sharing life experiences that are perhaps out of the norm, interesting, or compelling, how many of us have heard the phrase ‘You should write a book…’? Having always considered taking on this challenge, I finally decided to dedicate myself to this monumental task. It has been a long, interesting journey so far, and I look forward to both the trials and successes to come as I continue on my writing/publishing career.

In the early 1990s one of my entrepreneurial ventures led me to working as a trade consultant in Hungary. At that time, the country was transitioning from a state to market economy and offered many business opportunities. In the 2+ years that I travelled there, I met lots of characters in both the business and political arenas. The Budapest night life could get quite crazy at times, if your ‘meetings’ and social engagements led you to certain places. For me it was always interesting ‘playing games with the faces’, as Simon and Garfunkle would put it. Sometimes my colleagues would identify people in a crowded room, saying ‘I heard he is associated with the Mob’ or ‘she is one of the Organization’s women.’ It was these real life experiences that inspired me to write my debut fictional novel, The Budapest Experiment.

The book follows the journey of the protagonist, Michael Rousson, an adventurous but struggling American entrepreneur. While Michael shares a lot of the same traits as I did budapest experiment cover photoback then, most of his experiences in Budapest are quite different than what mine were. In the course of doing business he eventually becomes involved in the Russian Mob’s business operations that were centered in Budapest. Enticed and seduced by the Organization’s women, money, and power, he accepts what he thinks is a part-time consulting position with the Mob.

Inspired by things I dealt with back then, philosophical dilemmas evolve as Michael gets a remote glimpse into the darker worlds of sex, drugs, and arms trafficking. ‘At what price does one sell their soul?’ and ‘What is the greater evil in the world? Those that profit from the vulnerable in society, or those of us that just stand by and watch, complacent to the plight and suffering of the human condition around the world.’ The experiences and encounters that the protagonist endures in the book are fictional and extreme, but these questions are ones that we face ourselves, to some extent, every day. How much of our resources of time, treasure, and talent do we allocate to those less fortunate vs. what we keep for our own benefit and pleasures?

On what you might call a lighter note, I should mention that there are erotica scenes in the book. As a newbie author, my decision to include these was a bit of a struggle. I considered glazing over these scenes, but in the end I felt it was important to capture the intimacy between Michael, the ‘Mob women’, and a flirty interpreter. My hope was that by including the details of these encounters, readers would better comprehend the internal conflicts of the main character as well as familarize themselves with the behind-the-scenes life stories of the women he encounters.

Special thanks to Christie for inviting me to guest blog.

~~~

maurice miller headshotThe Budapest Experiment is now available in Print and Kindle eBook. You can check it out here: http://amzn.to/1z1g09v. There are 3+ chapters in the ‘Look Inside’ feature on the Kindle page to help you get acquainted.

You can gets lots more info including my author profile, blog, entry to win one of 15 free eBook copies on June 1, social media contacts, and much more by visiting my website www.mauricegmiller.com.

For those of you on Goodreads, be sure to watch for my second giveaway of 3 authographed author copies starting on Friday May 29. You can check my Goodreads author profile http://bit.ly/1DO6y6k and while you are there please send a friend request.

Thanks.

– Maurice

Universal Harmonics: Guest Post by Josh de Lioncourt

Many authors say that their characters lead their story places they didn’t know it would go. How about a character whose entire personality changed when her author gave her a new name? Josh de Lioncourt’s guest post is an outstanding example of characters who take over their own stories to help everything come together.


On the opening page of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain writes, “Huck Finn is drawn from life; Tom Sawyer also, but not from an individual—he is a combination of the characteristics of three boys whom I knew, and therefore belongs to the composite order of architecture.”

This is true for most, if not all, literary characters whether or not the author realizes or acknowledges it consciously. Writers draw from their life experiences, people they’ve known, and things they’ve loved when telling a story. This is, perhaps, the most basic and unchanging truth of writing.

But it’s true of each and every human being on the planet as well; we are all drawn, colored, and sculpted into the individuals we become by the experiences we have had, the friends or family who’ve touched our lives, the things we’ve discovered, and the places we’ve been. Or, to use Mark Twain’s more eloquent phrasing, we all belong to the composite order of architecture.

As I write this, Harmony’s Song, a short story that ties into The Dragon’s Brood Cycle HS cover_mediumseries of novels, has just been released, and I find myself reflecting on the bits and pieces of my life that inspire my work, make me the person I am, and influence the characters I create. It’s always easier to connect the dots looking back, at least for me. I’m rarely, if ever, aware of the sources of my inspiration while I’m writing.

Sometimes I rediscover a phrase I wrote and see it in a whole new light that reminds me of some author I admire; sometimes I hear the echoes of those I’ve known in the voices of my characters; sometimes the words or melody of some old and well-loved song surfaces as I read over a scene or wander along forgotten passages. Most times, though, lightning simply strikes, and it’s fun to just let the magic of creation run its course and not bother with the whys and wherefores of the fickle Muses; they are as likely as not to rescind their blessings.

But there are times, too, when the universe simply gives you a gift, and it’s best to accept it with grace, even if that means rewriting large portions of your current project.

I received a gift like that while writing Harmony’s Song. The story’s title character began life in my imagination and then in the bits and bytes of my MacBook with an entirely different name. Daniel, an orphan living on the streets of Ravenhold, befriends a new orphaned girl who comes to town, and who was, in the earliest draft of those first few pages, named Shanna.

One Thursday afternoon, after I’d written perhaps a third of the first draft, I was taking a break and enjoying a game show. One of the contestants was named Harmony.

What a pretty name, I thought, and then I went on listening to the show.

It wasn’t until the show ended that I found myself wishing that I’d bestowed the name Harmony on Daniel’s friend. It would’ve made such a perfect name for her, I thought.

It was then, of course, when my conscious mind finally caught up with my subconscious. I could name her Harmony. It would be the perfect name.

And so began the process of what I thought would be a simple swap of one name for another. If you’ve read the story, you’ve probably realized by now that it didn’t turn out quite that way.

As I read through the first part of the story, exchanging each “Shanna” for “Harmony”, something strange began to happen. The character’s new name took on a life of its own, working its way into the fiddler’s songs and, I hope, into the very fabric of the character herself and the story as a whole. While the basic plot remained the same, the tale of Daniel and his mysterious friend acquired a luster that hadn’t been present in the earliest draft. It resonated, and I loved it.

In music, two notes played together makes an interval; three notes, harmonious with one another, make a chord. But the real magic is frequently when two or more independent melodies weave together to form something better—something bigger—than any on its own. It is the wedding of melodies into something beautiful that separates the lullaby from the symphony, or, in literary terms, the one-dimensional character from the fully realized soul who lives and breathes within both the confines of the page and the wide open spaces of our imaginations.

It’s a miracle of sorts how one creature, whose parts have become more than their total, can breathe life into another. Since time out of mind, humans have disdained flat and lifeless characters of prose and poetry, while simultaneously doing the same to those living in the real world who defy the norms of convention.

In the end, whether we are a Tom Sawyer, an orphan on the streets of a mythical city, or just another human being trying to make our way through life, we all gloriously belong to that composite order of architecture. May we celebrate that, and may we make the sweetest of harmonies.

~~~

Buy the short story here!

Connect with Josh:
Twitter
Goodreads
Amazon
Dragon’s Brood Cycle series Facebook page

Just in Time for Halloween: The New Mrs. Collins

Quanie Miller made a great first impression with her hilarious romantic comedy, It Ain’t Easy Being Jazzy. Her second book is considerably different – Southern Paranormal genre – and she proves that her writing is both versatile and consistently engaging. Her characters, whether funny or intense, are unforgettable, her creativity knows no bounds. This is not only an exciting read, but one you’ll want to talk about.

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Book Info

Title: The New Mrs. Collins
Author: Quanie Miller
Genre: Paranormal
Release Date: October 13, 2014

Book Blurb

In the small town of Carolville, Louisiana, no one knows that Adira Collins inherited mystical powers from her great-grandmother. All they know is that she’s beautiful, poised, graceful, and ruthless — especially when it comes to love. And no one knows that more than Leena Williams, who was all set to marry the man of her dreams until Adira swooped into town and stole the man’s heart.

Being left at the altar is bad enough, but Leena and her ex share custody of their son, so she has to see the new Mrs. Collins on a regular basis.

And it burns every time she does.

But soon, Leena starts to suspect that there is more to Adira Collins than meets the eye. And it’s not because she owns some kinky lingerie shop or allegedly insulted the pastor’s wife — it’s the strange way she can make a door close without touching it, or take one look at something and make it drop dead at her feet.

Leena starts digging for answers and soon discovers that, unlike her public persona, Adira’s true nature is somewhere on the other side of grace. She also learns, a little too late, that some secrets are better left buried.

Excerpt

Even though Johnny’s house was a good ten miles away, it did not occur to Leena to put on a pair of shoes, or to comb her hair, or wash her face. She walked along Elmer Drive until she got to Stoney Way. She ambled along, not paying attention to anything in particular, when she looked up and saw a woman in a white nightgown walking towards her. There was nothing really remarkable about her except for the fact that her face was on fire. Leena stopped and pointed at the woman. She was going to ask her if she knew her face was on fire when the woman smiled at her. To Leena’s horror, the woman’s face transformed into her face. The woman was her. She looked at her reflection in a store window and saw that it was true: her face was ablaze.

Leena looked down at her fingertips and noticed that they were on fire as well. She the new mrs. collins cover imagewondered — if she touched something, would it burn? She turned her attention to a mailbox on the corner and winced when it blurred, went back into focus, disappeared, and then returned. She walked towards it, stuck her burning finger out, and was shocked to discover that the mailbox wasn’t real. Her finger went right through it as if the mailbox were made of clouds. She was stumped. She looked at her hand again when it dawned on her what she had gone to the kitchen for that morning — to cut the tips from her fingers.

She turned around, headed back to her house and wondered who left her front door wide open. When she got to the kitchen, she laid her hand on the cutting board and took the biggest knife from the cutlery set. She would start with the pinky first. She laid the little finger there, raised the knife high in the air, and just as she was coming down to slice, heard the whisper once more, and this time, it was as clear as a blue diamond sitting in a shallow pool of water: Go to McCullens Bridge.

McCullens Bridge! Well, that made sense. Her face was on fire so it was logical that she should go to McCullens Bridge and stick her head in to put the fire out. Why hadn’t she thought of it before? She walked outside and noticed that the sun was hanging lower than usual, almost on top of her neighbor’s house. She wagged her finger as she walked past it, thinking that if it fell on her head, she’d be in a world of trouble. She looked at it one more time to make sure it would stay put, then she continued walking.

Author Bio

QUANIE MILLER - PHOTOQuanie Miller grew up in New Iberia, Louisiana. She fell in love with reading at an early age and spent most of her time at the Iberia Parish Library discovering authors like R.L. Stine and Christopher Pike (she was often found walking back home from the library with a stack of books that went up to her chin). She holds degrees from Louisiana State University and San Jose State University. She has been the recipient of the James Phelan Literary Award, the Louis King Thore Scholarship, the BEA Student Scriptwriting Award, and the Vicki Hudson Emerging Writing Prize. She is the author of The New Mrs. Collins, a southern paranormal novel, and It Ain’t Easy Being Jazzy, a romantic comedy. She lives in South Carolina with her husband and is currently, as always, working on another novel. To find out more about Quanie and her works in progress visit quanietalkswriting.com.

Book Purchase Links

Amazon (US) http://www.amazon.com/New-Mrs-Collins-Quanie-Miller-ebook/dp/B00OAC362I

Amazon (UK) http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Mrs-Collins-Quanie-Miller-ebook/dp/B00OAC362I

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/483357

Social Media Links

Twitter: @quaniemiller
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/QuanieMillerAuthor
Blog: http://www.quanietalkswriting.com
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/QuanieMiller
Website: quaniemiller.com
Email: quanie@quanietalkswriting.com

Need Inspiration?

by Sandra Ardoin, Inspirational Historical Romance Author

The Shack, A Log Cabin Christmas, Into the Free, Dying to Read, the Left Behind series. Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, Wanda Brunstetter, Terri Blackstock, Cindy Woodsmall.

What do these books and authors have in common? First, the novels are written from a Christian world view. Second, each title and author has made the New York Times Best Sellers list. And I could name more of each.

For a long time, most fiction from a Christian world view revolved around sweet romance. Then Frank Perretti (another NY Times best seller) took up where C. S. Lewis of Narnia fame ended and opened the market to fiction that dealt with stronger issues than prairie romance—namely, demons and spiritual warfare. From then on, it was no longer grandma’s Christian fiction.

Or maybe it still is.

Middle-class female adults make up the bulk of readers, and romance tops the genre list. It doesn’t matter if it’s contemporary romance, romantic suspense, or historical romance. People love love whether it’s between a fictional hero and heroine or in their own relationship with God.

I recently conducted an informal survey and asked readers why they chose Christian fiction. Here are some of the reasons they repeated over and over:

  • It’s clean – This was number one. Not everyone wants to read scenes with explicit sex or coarse language. These readers are not prudes or ostriches. They simply want G and PG stories that won’t leave certain images and words lodged in their minds. It’s the old computer philosophy of “garbage in/garbage out.” (The Biblical version can be found in Philippians 4:8. J)
  • It’s relevant – One of the biggest complaints I’ve heard against books in this market is what I call the “roses and lollipops” impression. Characters live in an unrealistic world. (See paragraph three above.)

When I asked what has changed over the last decade and what readers would like to see, I got the same basic answer: relevancy. People were happy to see that authors now tackled subjects they dealt with in everyday life—single parenting, alcoholism, divorce, etc. And they want to see more of it. But they want those topics addressed in a Biblical manner.

  • It has expanded its reach – Yes, sweet romance is still published because there is still a large market (check out the success of Harlequin’s Love Inspired imprint). Today, you’ll find suspense, thrillers—including medical and military—mystery, historicals set in various periods, Amish, contemporary women’s fiction, westerns, science fiction and speculative fiction.
  • It’s well written – In years past, these novels lacked respect writing-wise, and there was some basis for it. That’s no longer the case. Like the best mainstream authors, those who write for the Christian market are well trained. With the formation of organizations like American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) with its nearly 3,000 members in the U.S. and internationally, writers are privy to educational resources, networking opportunities, critique groups, and contests—all meant to help them improve their craft.
  • It speaks to readers, spiritually – Many times, Jesus taught through story. Readers want Christian authors to do the same—without being “preachy.” It isn’t just a matter of throwing out a verse or prayer here and there. Readers want to see a character whose struggle either teaches them something they can use in their own lives or brings them into a deeper relationship with God.

It’s little wonder that large mainstream publishers such as Hachette, Random House, and HarperCollins decided to join in on the growing popularity of the Christian (or Inspirational) publishing market by either starting their own imprints or buying existing Christian houses.

Remember, these aren’t your grandma’s novels. They’re entertaining, funny, and emotionally moving. They’re waiting for you to try them.

Bio:

Sandra Ardoin_HeadshotSandra Ardoin writes inspirational historical romance. Her Christmas novella, The Yuletide Angel, releases October 2014 and is up for pre-order on Amazon. She’s the married mother of a young adult and lives in North Carolina. Visit her at www.sandraardoin.com and on the Seriously Write blog. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Goodreads, and Pinterest.

The Yuletide Angel Cover

How (Not) to Write a Novel

I always sing author Quanie Miller‘s praises because she’s such an outstanding writer. In fact, I did a fun and interesting interview with her in 2013 about her premier book It Ain’t Easy Being Jazzy. As the owner of Proof Positive, I am proud to be featured on her blog with my guest post, “How (Not) to Write a Novel”. I’d love it if you comment and ask questions – I will answer every single one. Take advantage of some free advice from an expert editor!

Author Chat: Why I Like Historicals

By now, you’re probably familiar with Donna Hatch’s historical romance novels. If not, check out her Amazon page for a listing of her published books.

I had the chance to catch up with Donna, who is always in the midst of working on her next novel. I asked her why historical fiction appeals to her as an author and what about it stands out to her as a great genre. Here’s her perspective on why historical fiction is so appealing to readers and writers alike.

~~~

I love many things about historical fiction—both as a reader and as an author. When life gets stressful, the first thing many readers do is pick up a novel. Historical novels provide the perfect escape from reality. Total escapism can and does happen with modern-day novels, but the more a book differs from the present-day world with its present-day cares, the better an escape it provides. Historical novels transport readers to another place and time completely different from reality. Another draw of historical fiction for many people is that it typically has more lyrical writing  or “voice” than  other genres.

Like most Regency romance authors who pride themselves on historical accuracy, I extensively research British history, particularly the Regency Era, which is the early 1800’s.  This is how I create a virtual trip through time. Having my facts straight is not just a pretty backdrop for my stories; the manners and mores of society helped shape people who lived in that time, both those who embraced customs of the time and those who challenged them.

But if I had to pick one reason why I love historical romance, it’s the people. Call me a romantic, but people from the past seemed to be more concerned with honor. In Regency England, duty and honor meant everything. If a man said he’d do something, especially if he gave his word, he meant it, and others could count him to follow through, even at great personal cost.

I love the way people in Regency England spoke so eloquently. The upper classes didn’t maul the language—they used correct grammar and had an enormous vocabulary. They also prized wit and excelled in using the understatement. If you read books by authors of that day such as Jane Austen, you’ll see that their writing is almost poetic, each word chosen for its wording, imagery, and rhythm.

By the Georgian and Regency Eras, men and women alike were educated and could read, compute complex mathematics, speak multiple languages—French and Latin in particular—and loved philosophical debates. They were also very cultured. From a young age they were taught to dance, play music, sing, and recite poetry.

Men in many historical eras were civilized and treated women with courtesy by standing up when a lady entered the room, doffing their hats, curtailing their language, offering an arm, bowing, and a hundred other little things I wish men still did today. But they were also very athletic; they hunted, raced, fenced, boxed, rode horses. They were manly. Strong. Noble. Resolute. Honorable. I love that about them! And that makes them perfect heroes for both historical fiction and historical romance novels.

~~~

If you’re not familiar with Donna’s latest book, A Perfect Secret, make sure you check it out.

A Perfect Secret - Donna Hatch - book cover

Author: Donna Hatch
Release date: November, 2013
 Genre: Historical Romance
Tour: Irresistible Reads Book Tours

 Book Description:

Desperate to protect her father from trial and death, Genevieve breaks off her engagement with Christian Amesbury and marries a blackmailer. After a year of marriage, she flees her husband’s violent domination only to have fate bring her back to Christian. Just when she thinks she’s started a new life of safety and solitude, her husband tracks her down, stalks her, and threatens everyone she loves.

Still brokenhearted over Genevieve’s betrayal a year ago, Christian can’t believe she’s come back into his life–and worse, that she’s done it on the anniversary of his brother’s death, a death that haunts him. Though tempted to throw her back into the river where he found her, he can’t leave her at the mercy of the terrifying man she married.

When her husband torments Genevieve and puts his family in danger, Christian will do anything to protect those he loves…anything except give Genevieve another chance to break his heart.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/16057884-a-perfect-secret

~~~

About the Author:

Donna Hatch authorI’ve had a passion for writing since the age of eight when I wrote my first short story. During my sophomore year in high school, I wrote my first full-length novel, a science fiction romance. I wrote my second novel during my senior year, a fantasy romance. Needless to say, English and Creative Writing were always my favorite subjects. Yes, I’m a total grammar geek! In between caring for six children (7 counting my husband), I manage to carve out time to indulge in my writing obsession, with varying degrees of success, although I write most often late at night instead of sleeping. And yes, all of my heroes are patterned after my husband of 21 years, who continues to prove that there really is a happily ever after.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RomanceAuthorDonnaHatch
Official Website: http://donnahatch.com/

Author Chat: Stacey J. Mitchell

Have you ever heard of the Red String of Fate? Author Stacey J. Mitchell has a new, unique take on it that will keep you turning the pages of her book Read Threads to find out more. What are the red threads? Where are they coming from? What do they mean?

The idea of red threads connecting people was intriguing to me, so I asked Stacey what inspired her idea. She answered in a great blog post, which turned out to be ironic. Read on to find out why.

~~~

My first novel, Red Threads, was inspired by a blog post. I was taking part in the 2012 A-to-Z Challenge at the time. If you’re not familiar with the A-to-Z Challenge, it goes something like this: for every day in the month of April (apart from Sundays), you write a blog post on a different letter of the alphabet.

Many people write their blog posts on a theme, and this was something I chose to do. I love history and the subject I had selected was mythology. I chose to write about a number of ancient cultures including Egyptian, Japanese, and Chinese.

When I was reading around the subject of Chinese mythology, I discovered the concept of the Red String of Fate. In this, two people who are destined to be together are connected by a red thread, which runs from the ankle of one to the ankle of the other (or little finger to little finger in Japanese mythology).

This became my ‘R’ post in the A-to-Z Challenge. The idea stuck with me and I started thinking about how I might use it in fiction. What if the red thread didn’t just join two soulmates? Perhaps it could be used as a general indicator of someone’s fate, connecting one person to the most important person in his or her life at that time (and not just romantically—after all, we have so many different kinds of relationships).

I thought it would be fun to write about a character who had the ability to see these fate lines, but didn’t understand what they were. Lily, the main character in Red Threads, has to learn to use her ability, and to help her do this I added characters called Fateliners who guide people through the biggest events in their lives. Opposing the Fateliners are evil entities intent on stopping humans from fulfilling their fate—and in doing this they are trying to create chaos in the world.

As you can see, one thought led to the next and the more I thought about it, the more excited I became. I still find it amazing that a novel (and the potential for a whole series) grew out of a short post.

~~~

If you’re not familiar with Stacey’s book yet, make sure you check it out.

Red Threads book cover

Title: Red Threads
Author: Stacey J. Mitchell
 Release date: 2013
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Tour: Irresistible Reads Book Tours

 Book Description:

Twenty-six-year-old Lily Robinson has her dream job in a museum, a great boyfriend, and is happy with her life – until the day she starts seeing red threads growing out of the chests of those around her.

That same day Lily meets a stranger who seems to know her and understand what she is seeing. Lily doesn’t believe him when he says she has a special ability, and it’s only when he saves her life that she accepts something very strange is happening to her.
Lily’s life is rapidly turned upside-down when she gets thrown into the world of fate and meets the beings who influence it.

Can she learn to control her ability to help herself and those around her who need it most?
Will she actually want to when she finds out what she has to do?

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18194046-red-threads?ac=1

~~~

About the Author:

Stacey Mitchell author
I am a tea drinker and history geek who lives in south Wales. I love reading, being outdoors, cooking, and stand-up comedy—but I don’t like bananas and insects.

I have been writing stories ever since I could hold a pen. I have a degree in Egyptology, and I love writing so much that I even enjoyed my university coursework.

Official Website: http://www.staceyjmitchell.com
Twitter: @_staceymitchell

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